Florida boy, 3, fatally shoots self with uncle's gun

A 3-year-old boy died after shooting himself with a gun he found in his uncle's backpack and the man was charged with culpable negligence, authorities said.

The Associated Press

TAMPA — A 3-year-old boy died after shooting himself with a gun he found in his uncle's backpack and the man was charged with culpable negligence, authorities said.

The shooting happened Tuesday night in a bedroom Jadarrius Speights shared with his uncle at an apartment complex in Tampa.

The uncle, Jeffrey D. Walker, 29, purchased the gun at a Tampa-area gun shop and has a concealed weapons permit, authorities said.

Walker was booked early Wednesday. It wasn't immediately clear whether he had an attorney. His phone number was not listed and jail records didn't give a lawyer for him.

The boy found the 9 mm handgun in a backpack, said sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter. The uncle was not in the room when the shooting happened, but the child's parents — Jasmine Bell, 21, and Trentin Speights, 22 — were there when the gun fired, Carter said.

Authorities said a 911 call came in at 7:10 p.m. The boy was taken to Florida Hospital Tampa, where he died.